RC Diocese of Argyll & the Isles

MASS IN HONOUR OF ST. JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA – ST. ANREW’S CATHEDRAL, GLASGOW 25^th JUNE 2011.

A striking image in the scripture passages we have just heard is that of the water. In Genesis we were told that a flood was rising from the earth and watering  the surface of the soil – with the fertility of the earth thus guaranteed the Lord God proceeded to create man and to settle him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and take care of it. The earth needed therefore both facets of God’s creation in order to produce its fruit – the life-giving waters and the work and creativity of the humans he had breathed life into.

Jesus preached at the water’s edge on the Lake of Gennesaret and then called the fishermen to take him  out onto the lake itself so he could preach more effectively. Having used his means of work, his boat, Jesus then invites Simon to put out into the deep water in order to net what turned out to be an unexpected and extraordinary catch of fish. The Lord seems to have used both the fertility of the lake and the fishermen’s  professional talent to provide this excessive bounty and thus to win them for himself. Indeed after he had accepted Simon’s heartfelt words and gesture of humility (“Leave me Lord I am a sinful man”) he lost no time in indicating the task he wished to set before them, namely to be fearless fishers of men. They responded most generously, leaving everything to follow the Lord.

On Pentecost Sunday these same men appear on the streets of Jerusalem, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaiming Jesus Christ, who was crucified, as Lord and Saviour, and inviting all who heard them to repent, to be baptised the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and believing that by so doing they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, just like the apostles. At the birth of the Church, therefore, the waters of baptism are presented as the means through which Holy Spirit would infuse the believer’s life, lifting them from the hold of original sin to the new life of grace in Jesus Christ. These waters, which we have all received, hold the same extraordinary fertility poured forth over God’s created world and rising from the Sea of Gennesaret through the Lord’s Word and Presence. The grace of baptism gives each of us this wonderful potential to be the Lord’s workers in the world, to take the human created talents and intellect we have been blessed with  and to allow his grace, his special gift to each of us in baptism and the other sacraments, to transform us into his instruments. We are ready to go wherever he calls us, offering all of ourselves in the vineyard, in the garden, in the boats, humble like Peter, but trusting that in Him we can do something beautiful for God.

The saint we honour today, St Josemaria Escriva, had a great sense of the value of each person’s work – through it their baptismal calling to be the Lord’s apostles in the world takes on a concrete shape and by their skill and dedication others will be influenced by their Christian witness.  He said

“Professional work, whatever it is, becomes a lamp to enlighten colleagues and friends. That is why I usually tell those who become members of Opus Dei, and the same applies to all of you now listening to me: ‘What is the use in telling me that so and so is a good son of mine – a good Christian – but a bad shoemaker?’ If he doesn’t try to learn his trade well, or doesn’t give his full attention to it, he wouldn’t be able to sanctify it or offer it to Our Lord. The sanctification of ordinary work is, as it were, the hinge of true spirituality for people  who, like us, have decided to come close to God while at the same time being fully involved in temporal affairs” ( Friends of God, 61)

Doing our daily work to the best of our ability is our daily offering to God, and it is also an opportunity to give ourselves to others – by example we can reveal Christ to them and lead them to God the Father, knowing that the Holy Spirit works in and through us, especially when we offer charity and compassion to those in need. We are conscious also that as well as earthly bread to sustain human life we need bread from heaven to enlighten our own minds and inflame our hearts, and through our contact with others in work, and in our professional lives, we have opportunities to conversations and dealings with others to bring the words, the presence of the Lord to them.

We bishops recently received the preparatory document for the Synod of Bishops to be held in Rome in October 2012. The theme of the Synod will be “The New Evangelisation for the Transmission of the Christian Faith”  and it is obviously  calling the Bishops of the Church and their communities to reflect on how we need to transmit the Christian faith to the people of today. The term The New Evangelisation sums up where we sense we are – many, especially in the more developed parts of the world, have lost much of the knowledge and practice of the Christian faith, and this a challenge and opportunity for the Church to bring the Gospel again to the lives of those who do not know Christ or have lost their faith in him –  just as the Apostles did on Pentecost Sunday. The final paragraph of the document gives a taste of what New Evangelisation means for us as believers and faithful members of the Catholic Church:

“The new evangelisation then, which is primarily a task-to-be-done and a spiritual challenge, is the responsibility of all Christians who are in serious pursuit of holiness. In this context and with this understanding of formation, it will be useful to dedicate space and time to considering the institutions and means available to local Churches to make baptized persons more conscious of their duty in missionary work and evangelization. For our witness to be credible , as we respond to each of these areas requiring new evangelization, we must know how to speak in ways  that are intelligible to our times  and proclaim, inside these areas, the reason for our hope which bolsters our witness (1 Pt. 3: 15). Such a task is not accomplished without effort, but requires attentiveness, education and concern.”

There is optimism in these words that we can do the Lord’s work today, but a lot of work is needed and education and formation so that it is done well. Pope Benedict XVI has spoken on occasions of   the “Courtyard of the Gentiles” – a free space within the temple open to those who did not take part in the full Jewish rites – open for people to come to pray and sense the presence of God and meet with believers and dialogue with them (not unlike the recently created Italian garden next to this Cathedral). Reflecting on this space for dialogue and encounter, again in the Spirit of Pentecost the Synod document says that the Christian must always carry a sense of boldness (Jesus’ words to Simon “Do not be afraid”) :

“The Christian must never forego a sense of boldness in proclaiming the Gospel and seeking every positive way to provide avenues to dialogue, where people’s deepest expectations and thirst for God can be discussed. This boldness allows the question of God to be placed in context through one’s sharing of personal experiences in seeking God  and recounting the gratuitous nature of the personal encounter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Another reflection from this document which caught my attention is in regard to the fruitfulness of what we do as Church, as the community of believers and as individual members of Christ’s Body. A contemporary of St Josemaria Escriva, Pope Paul VI, spoke of this quest for renewed fruitfulness in the Church’s life in Evangelii nuntiandi:

“She (the Church) is the People of God immersed in the world, and often tempted by idols, and she always needs to hear the proclamation of the ‘mighty works of God’ which converted her to the Lord; she always needs to be called together afresh by Him and reunited. In brief this means that she has a constant need of being evangelised, if she wishes to retain freshness, vigour and strength in order to proclaim the Gospel.”

Saints like Josemaria Escriva brought that freshness, vigour and strength in their own life-time and it lives on in the testimony they have left and in the lives of those inspired by their example. Another source of inspiration is our present Holy Father, Pope Benedict, the freshness and clarity of whose thought and words are so attractive and encourage us to reflect upon  the Gospel of the Lord and its continuity in the teaching of the Church through the centuries. We can’t help but admire his grasp of the Scriptures, the Fathers, the Saints, and the writers of more recent times and we thank God for the wise and uplifting leadership he offers from the Chair of St. Peter. St Josemaria recommended that we “welcome the Pope’ words with a religious, humble and effective acceptance. And pass them on.” Pope Benedict’s words during the Papal Visit last year are particularly significant. Here are some from his homily at Bellahouston:

“ I appeal in particular to you, the lay faithful, in accordance with your baptismal calling and mission, not only to be examples of faith in public , but also to put the case for the promotion of faith’s wisdom and vision in the public forum. Society today needs clear voices which propose our right to live, not in a jungle of self-destructive or arbitrary freedoms, but in a society which works for the true welfare of its citizens and offers them guidance and protection in the face of their weakness and fragility. Do not be afraid to take up this service to your brothers and sisters, and to the future of your beloved nation.”

 Pope Benedict will celebrate his 60^th anniversary as a priest next Wednesday, the Solemnity of Sts Peter and Paul, and we have been asked to set aside time for prayer, particularly before the Blessed Sacrament, for Pope Benedict himself, for the continued renewal of priests, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. As we have reflected on the call of all the baptised to share in the Mission of the Church, we are conscious also of those who have been called to share in the apostolic ministry as bishops and priests and we pray that they may remain faithful to their vocation, and through preaching the Gospel and celebrating the sacraments nourish the faithful with the Lord’s Word and presence, especially in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. It is fitting also to commend the ministry of Pope Benedict, and that of his fellow bishops and priests, to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary – through her motherly care may we be helped to fulfil God’s will in our lives, and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, carry the Lord himself to those who need Him most. May we continue to be inspired and guided by the saints, especially  St Josemaria Escriva, himself a happy priest and joyful messenger of the Gospel.